Canada is broken.
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
191.44048
Summary
Member of Parliament for the riding of Tobik Mactaquac, New Brunswick, Richard Braggdon joins the show to talk about his thoughts on the carbon tax introduced by the Trudeau government, and why it needs to go.
Transcript
00:00:00.000
Hello and welcome once again to The Blueprints. This is Canada's Conservative Podcast. I'm your
00:00:22.940
host, Jamie Schmael, Member of Parliament for Halliburton Court, the likes Brock, with new
00:00:26.440
content for you every single Tuesday, 1.30pm Eastern Time. We ask that you like, comment, share and
00:00:31.600
subscribe to this channel. This is information you're probably not getting in the mainstream
00:00:35.880
media, so we ask you tell two friends about it because they can download it and listen to it on
00:00:40.360
platforms like CastBox, iTunes, Google Play and Spotify, if they so choose. Wide variety of places
00:00:46.120
you can get it and content for you. Like I said, new content every single Tuesday. This week, we are
00:00:51.140
going to talk to the Order of the East, Mr. Richard Braggdon, the Member of Parliament for
00:00:56.300
Tobik Mactaquac in New Brunswick. I say that, Mr. Braggdon, and I thank you again for coming
00:01:01.580
on the show because if you haven't checked out his social media feed, I encourage you to do so. He
00:01:05.980
had an amazing speech on the Liberal Carbon Tax. It fired everybody up, and I want to give you
00:01:12.700
compliments here on this show for giving this this time after such a performance that lit up
00:01:20.080
the House of Commons to the point of incapacitation. And it is really about, I know we jest here because
00:01:29.520
we have a running joke, but to the point you were trying to make, the cost of living, the cost of
00:01:35.520
everything is going up. Canada seems broken in many cases, and that was the point you were trying to make.
00:01:40.640
Well, thanks, Jamie, and I'm honored always to come on the show with you. We have a lot of fun, and yes,
00:01:45.600
we jest, and we have a good time, but I think it's great what you're doing and providing this platform
00:01:50.720
to get out an alternate perspective and to get out some of the messaging that we're trying to hone in
00:01:57.200
on. And I really believe that under Pierre's incredible leadership right now, we're tapping into
00:02:03.680
a real frustration that's out there amongst a lot of Canadians, and they're feeling it. You can sense that
00:02:07.600
I'm sure you are in your riding, and I know I am back home in Tomek-Maktaquak. People across New Brunswick,
00:02:14.960
and across Canada for that matter, are feeling the pinch in their pocketbooks, they're feeling the effects
00:02:20.800
in the cost of living, they're seeing the price of grocery store, the price of home heating,
00:02:26.560
to fill up their tanks, all that is going up, up, up. Their wages can't keep up with it, and they're feeling
00:02:32.800
that pinch, and the last thing they want or need is a hike in the carbon tax, which affects everything.
00:02:39.680
As you know, anything that's trucked or shipped or hauled, which ends up on the grocery shelves or in
00:02:43.680
the stores, or heating our homes for that matter, it's being affected in a big way, and it's only going
00:02:51.200
to continue to soar those cost increases as the full implementation of the carbon tax plan comes into
00:02:56.640
effect. So I was a little bit passionate about it in the House last week, but I make no apologies
00:03:03.040
about it, because I feel like that's the sentiment of a lot of Canadians. They're frustrated.
00:03:06.160
Or should you make apologies? No, no, you were tapping into something. I think that's why
00:03:10.400
the speech resonated with so many, and it took off on social media, because people could see themselves
00:03:17.040
in the words, in your words, in the stories you were telling, and it is happening. It's just shocking to me
00:03:23.520
that the Liberals, who keep doubling down on their current strategy, that Canadians have never had
00:03:30.000
it so good, aren't getting the same letters, phone calls, and emails that we're getting. It just boggles
00:03:35.440
my mind. There's a disconnect, and people feel like those that they have elected, they're wondering,
00:03:42.480
are you hearing us? Do you understand what we're going through? Do you see it? And they get up,
00:03:46.480
and they see this kind of aloof government that's disconnected, talking about how somehow,
00:03:50.640
if we pay more taxes at the pump, and on our home heating, and higher prices for groceries,
00:03:56.240
that somehow we're going to heal the planet, and the tides are going to recede, and there'll be no
00:03:59.840
more hurricanes. And that may sound over the top, but that is what Canadians are feeling like.
00:04:04.800
Why are we having to pay through the nose for this kind of virtue signal that has limited to no effect?
00:04:12.320
And one of the things that really stood out to me on my time in Natural Resources Committee,
00:04:15.840
Jamie, was the fact that we heard testimony from Canada's Environment Commissioner. When we asked,
00:04:22.160
Mr. Commissioner, this signature landmark piece of environmental legislation by the current government
00:04:28.560
that's been in place in some jurisdictions now in Canada, like British Columbia, for over 10 years,
00:04:34.000
Mr. Commissioner, do we have any metric that can measure and tell us as Canadians how much carbon has
00:04:39.680
been pulled out of the atmosphere as a result of the implementation of this tax? And he said,
00:04:44.080
at this point, we have no such metric. So this is the landmark signature piece of legislation
00:04:48.320
for environmental policy for this government that loves to sign accords and virtue signal about
00:04:52.560
how they're friends of the planet, and they have nothing that can substantiate their claims that
00:04:57.040
the carbon tax is having any effect. But we've got all kinds of evidence from Canadians from coast to
00:05:01.200
coast to coast stating, we do know what effect it's having, our pocketbooks are diminishing,
00:05:07.360
and we don't have as much cash to spend, and it's getting almost impossible to keep up with the cost of
00:05:12.480
living. So I think Canadians are fed up, and they want real tangible solutions, and Canada needs to
00:05:17.680
take a back seat to no one when it comes to our energy and our economic and environmental stewardship,
00:05:24.160
I should say, our environmental stewardship. Our energy practices are second to none in the world.
00:05:29.200
We have some of the best regulated sectors on the planet. Why are we outsourcing that development to
00:05:35.920
countries that don't have near the regulation and somehow feel like we're doing the planet a favor?
00:05:39.680
That is extremely misleading, and they talk about misinformation, that's the biggest piece of
00:05:44.720
misinformation that's out there. Anyways, I gotta stop, I'm all wound up.
00:05:47.680
There is many pieces, right. Emissions have gone up with the taxes, so somehow making people poor
00:05:54.240
will save the environment. Meanwhile, you have countries like Germany and others that have tried
00:06:00.080
the green Marxist way, and it isn't working. And they're coming to other countries, they're realizing that
00:06:05.840
if you try this source of energy that isn't exactly widely available, it isn't affordable for the vast
00:06:13.200
majority of Europeans, and it doesn't work, you get your reliable source of natural gas cut off because
00:06:20.240
of the conflict with Russia and Ukraine, and all of a sudden you're up the creek without a paddle,
00:06:26.080
basically. You have to go to other countries to find that source of energy, because your citizens are
00:06:31.120
going to be pretty upset because they know winter's coming. Thankfully, it's been a mild winter for parts
00:06:36.320
of Europe, so they aren't, they're still under a crunch, but it wasn't as bad as it was predicted to be.
00:06:43.360
So you have the Chancellor of Germany coming to Canada saying, we'd like to buy some of your natural gas.
00:06:47.680
The Prime Minister saying there isn't a business case for it, like he knows. Then you have the Prime Minister of Japan
00:06:53.520
coming here saying, yeah, the budget balance, same question. No, we're good, we're good here. So they
00:06:59.120
go to Qatar and other countries to figure out how to do this. Now we hear news of Pakistan doing the same
00:07:04.880
thing, going to the reliable, proven sources of energy. And it's not as if we're against green energy,
00:07:11.280
it's A plus B. Your energy portfolio is always adding, you don't subtract. They want, the Marxist left
00:07:19.120
wants B minus A. You can't do that because B isn't tested, it's not widely available, and it's not
00:07:24.720
widely affordable, more importantly. Well, and it affects our national security. I think if anything
00:07:31.520
that has become to the forefront over the last couple of years is the absolute critical importance
00:07:35.760
of energy security and food security. And these policies are putting the boot on both of those
00:07:41.600
sectors and industries in our country. The people who actually grow our food and produce our wealth are
00:07:46.960
the ones that are being targeted through these draconian measures that punish the sectors that
00:07:52.720
have generated wealth and food security for our country for years. And we have the potential to not
00:07:59.040
only be the most energy secure and food secure nation on the planet, but also be a safe haven through which
00:08:04.240
many other countries that are insecure places could turn to as a refuge to do trade deals, to look at us
00:08:10.960
for a supply of good, clean, solid Canadian produced energy, as well as food. We need to position Canada
00:08:19.280
to take advantage of that and to help not only meet our own needs, but meet the world's needs. That makes
00:08:24.480
good economic sense, it makes good environmental sense. And one of the things that's staggering, Jamie,
00:08:29.120
that I found throughout this process, while we've been recently been virtue signaling on the environment and
00:08:36.160
signing all these accords and bringing in these taxes, there's a neighboring jurisdiction to us in
00:08:41.600
that same period of time that became the world's number one energy producer and exporter and yet
00:08:48.400
reduced their overall greenhouse gas emissions by far more than us during that same time period. We were 57
00:08:55.360
out of 60 nations in reducing greenhouse gas emissions during all that time of virtue signaling,
00:09:00.880
while this jurisdiction next to us increased their energy output and reduced their carbon footprint by
00:09:06.080
transitioning from coal to natural gas, etc. Why couldn't Canada do the same? We can maximize all of
00:09:12.720
the above and we're for all the above. Absolutely. I'm for nuclear, wind, solar. I'm all about adding,
00:09:17.120
adding to the portfolio. It's our strength. Yeah, so it makes sense. Yeah, absolutely. While at the same time,
00:09:23.280
we are getting scolded by, you know, the well-to-do, the super elite people who don't care what the tax rate
00:09:31.280
is because they're just so well off, but they treat themselves to the finest cuts of meat. They have the
00:09:35.920
best flights, the private schedules. They get the limousine service. They stay at the finest hotels,
00:09:41.120
but they don't actually solve anything when they get together in these so-called forums. They don't
00:09:45.040
actually solve. The only thing they come up with is how to add more government, how to restrict the
00:09:50.160
freedoms of the individuals in certain countries, how to basically keep people
00:09:55.200
somewhat complacent by giving them what they think they need, right? They're pieces on the chessboard.
00:10:02.880
You know, we are super smart. We know how people live their lives. We'll figure it out. Everyone just keep
00:10:09.600
pushing it uphill. And in case we, if we don't, we'll just ask for more time, more patience and more money in the form of taxes.
00:10:15.360
Oh, exactly. And this is the thing with all these wonderful grandiose suggestions and policies from,
00:10:21.680
you know, the Davos wonder class, et cetera. What happens is average Canadians are sitting there thinking,
00:10:29.280
I, I'm paying more for everything, but they can jet set. They can do all this stuff around the world.
00:10:37.520
They can come up with these policies that are going to affect whether or not I can get my kids to sports,
00:10:42.640
whether or not I can drive back and forth to work and it not cost me an exorbitant amount.
00:10:47.920
They're disconnected from the people they're representing. I think Canadians, and I find this is
00:10:53.040
resonating across the country, they're common sense, hardworking people. And they just want to be able to
00:10:58.080
raise their families and, and be a part of- Maybe take a vacation now and again. Exactly. Why not? You work hard.
00:11:04.800
They're longing for normal, like a long, best, long lost best friend. Like they just, they, they want to get back to,
00:11:10.000
look, we don't want government micromanaging our lives. And that's why, you know, I think the message
00:11:14.480
of Mr. Polyev is resonating with people across the country is they want to get back to some sense of
00:11:20.880
normalcy and live in their lives and being free without constant government intervention in every
00:11:26.240
aspect of their lives where, you know, how much they can afford to drive their car or, you know,
00:11:32.000
oh, you can't do this or you can't eat there or, you know, you don't, don't eat beef and all this
00:11:38.320
stuff. You don't want to be scolded for taking advantage of a vacation that you broke your back
00:11:42.560
all year working for. A lecture given to you by elite class who take private planes, right? The
00:11:49.200
ones that, that decry wealth, but want all of it. It's like one person said this. It's not my quote,
00:11:56.560
but someone had said this, I mean, I think it resonates. They said, I believe these people
00:12:00.480
are serious about climate change when they ban private jets. Well, if a cop, whatever number
00:12:07.840
they're at now conference, if that's not a zoom conference or should be, I don't know what is.
00:12:14.000
Lead by example. Why do you go to the best places on earth? Right. And fly all these luxury jets.
00:12:19.200
Exactly. If, if that's the message you're sending and you're yelling at people or scolding people,
00:12:24.160
calling them evil, awful, horrible human beings for taking their family on a vacation, maybe once
00:12:28.560
a year, if they can afford that. Absolutely. You know, this, this is, I think this is why people
00:12:33.920
are getting a little anxious of kind of the state of it, right? Like just leave me alone. Yeah. Yeah.
00:12:41.440
Let us live our lives. Let us work hard. I think if we could hear the cry of our farmers out there,
00:12:45.920
our workers, they would say, let the farmers farm, let the producers produce, let the workers work,
00:12:52.480
get off our backs and we'll help pull Canada out of its economic malaise. If you will just get off
00:12:58.080
the backs of the private sector, our producers and our wealth generators, and let them do what
00:13:01.920
they do best. That's Canadian. And Canadians know how to work hard and know how to innovate and know
00:13:06.960
how to produce. They just need a government that will get out of the way and let them do it. Instead
00:13:11.120
of further regulating and further punishing productivity and, oh my land, that terrible,
00:13:16.160
dreadful word, make a profit. Make a profit. That is horrible now. How dare you make a profit?
00:13:20.720
Yes. And how dare you have competition in a marketplace that provides a better product
00:13:25.200
service for people. Absolutely. No, exactly. But I'm thankful. I think Canadians are realizing this
00:13:32.080
and I believe that's why Mr. Polyev is resonating at the level he is across the country is because
00:13:37.360
people want their lives back and they know the potential that Canada has. We have incredible
00:13:42.320
potential with our vast lands, the fifth largest amount of agricultural lands on the planet.
00:13:47.520
All we need to do is allow our producers and farmers to do what they do best. And we have
00:13:52.880
amazing agriculture in this country. But let's help enhance it. Let's get out of the way of that
00:13:57.760
development instead of hampering it. The input costs have been soaring on these producers. Let's
00:14:03.600
get on the side of our producers and watch what they can do to help not only Canada but the rest of the
00:14:07.520
world with their generation. Same thing with energy. We've got incredible potential on all fronts,
00:14:11.920
whether it's hydro, nuclear, oil and gas, natural gas, all kinds of new and innovative things as
00:14:17.760
well. We can do incredible stuff. We just need to partner with them and allow them to to advance
00:14:23.520
and produce and do what they do so well. Absolutely. And the government, especially in the Marxist left,
00:14:29.360
doesn't seem to realize that if you keep taking from A, if you keep taking and giving and taking and
00:14:35.360
eventually there's not going to be an A to take from. Absolutely. They're going to stop producing.
00:14:41.520
They're going to move. They're just going to say, forget it. I'm out and stop working altogether or
00:14:45.920
stop producing those jobs and what have you. This is this is the problem. I don't think they realize
00:14:52.000
there is a breaking point. Nobody's going to stick around and get blood to death. There will be that
00:14:57.280
point. And when it becomes easier to throw in the towel and say, you know what, I'm just not going to
00:15:04.240
open my business. I'm not going to keep going on that, uh, keep going to work. That is the breaking
00:15:09.600
point where people then become more dependent on government. And of course, when you're dependent
00:15:13.760
on government, then government grows. Exactly. And the, the sign of a healthy nation
00:15:20.560
is when you have reward for hard work and those business owners that take risks, those entrepreneurs,
00:15:26.640
those small business owners that are out there and helping employ people, like I think it's like
00:15:30.480
something like 80% of Canadians are employed through some small business in some way.
00:15:34.480
If that is the case, let's allow them to receive recompense and reward for their hard work. Let's not
00:15:41.600
just take it back from them through taxation all the time and punish them for success. Let's reward
00:15:46.480
success. But at the same time, it's like, I think it was Margaret Thatcher who said, and I love the,
00:15:51.760
you know, the iron lady's quote. I think no, the quote you're going to go to. She said many,
00:15:54.480
but I know the one you're going to. She said, you can't lift up the wage earner by tearing down
00:15:59.280
the wage payer. I think it was her that said that. And, and, and I think, you know, we know that
00:16:05.440
through free market capitalism, that it's been kind of one of the staples of Western democracy.
00:16:10.960
It can be a tide that helps raise all boats. Absolutely. There's no perfect system because
00:16:15.520
they're made up of humans. But I would take that to the alternatives because any full fledged socialist
00:16:21.040
society eventually caves in on itself. Those constructs cannot be sustained in the long run.
00:16:26.640
So I think we can do great things in Canada. We have amazing potential and our future is bright.
00:16:33.520
We just need some leadership that taps into and believes in the potential of Canada,
00:16:38.400
rather than cifle it. Absolutely. When a growing field with blades of grass at different height,
00:16:43.680
the lawnmower is the equalizer. The lawnmower is big government and made equal by the saw,
00:16:49.840
made equal by the blade. I didn't say that. This was someone else said this, but made equal by the
00:16:54.080
blade. You're always cutting down. You're making people equally miserable. You're not rising boats
00:17:00.560
lifting all boats with a rising tide. Richard, we're running out of time here. As you know,
00:17:04.480
I always give the guests the last word. So the floor is yours. Well, thank you, Jamie. It's been a
00:17:08.480
pleasure to be with you again. Always fun. And look, I'm very hopeful. I know the challenges for Canada are
00:17:14.320
many. I know that we're facing some huge hurdles out there right now, economically and fiscally,
00:17:19.200
and people are facing, you know, soaring interest rates and we're seeing it with soaring inflation
00:17:25.760
and cost increases. But there's reason for hope. Change is coming. And I believe that, you know,
00:17:33.520
we've got a leader right now on the stage that has the capacity, the ability and the vision to take
00:17:38.880
Canada in a better direction in a hurry and get us there where we need to be by tapping in to that
00:17:46.080
untapped potential of this great country called Canada. You know, workers, our farmers, our producers,
00:17:53.280
all of that that's out there just waiting to be unleashed. And I think once we get the right
00:17:57.280
leadership in place, this country can become the envy of the world as it should be. That's why Richard
00:18:01.920
Bragdon is the Order of the East, Member of Parliament for Toveek Mack to Quack. I also want to thank him
00:18:06.640
not only for coming on the show, but wearing the same shade of purple. I'm glad we got the memo and
00:18:11.600
coordinated on that. We also want to thank you for your time. We do appreciate that as well. We ask
00:18:16.000
that you comment, like, subscribe and share this program. There is someone in your social media
00:18:21.280
network that might be open to hearing this message, probably isn't getting it through the mainstream
00:18:25.040
media. This is your chance to tell them about it. Also, if they can't watch or listen to this program
00:18:30.080
in its entirety right this second, they can download it on platforms like CastBox, iTunes, Google Play and
00:18:34.960
Spotify. New content for you every single Tuesday, 1 30 p.m. Eastern time. Until then, we say low taxes,
00:18:40.960
less government, more freedom. That's the blueprint.